Location, Location, Location
When we moved into Craigellie in August 2018, we were ready to embrace solar power once again. Our first call was to Marty at Solar and Wind Applications, who had already proven his expertise by installing panels at our previous home.
The big question was: where to put them?
After exploring our options, we settled on a ground-mounted array in the paddock. This spot was ideal for two reasons:
Perfect south-facing position
Secluded location away from the main house
Thinking Big: Maximising Our Solar Potential
We had a clear goal: install as many panels as we could manage (and afford).
Our reasoning was simple:
We would eventually use almost all the electricity produced
Any excess could benefit the grid
The Smart Solution
Here's where it gets interesting.
While SSE (our network operator) capped our maximum output at 10 kWh, Marty proposed a brilliant workaround: build a larger array but limit its output to the 10 kWh maximum.
Why does this work?
A larger array captures more sunlight during morning and evening hours, and in the same way captures more sunlight during winter months.
All this extra generation happens before hitting the output limit.
Creating our array
So here we go 16 Feb 2019 with the ground screws in place. We chose them as they are less intrusive than concrete pads…
… and the frame being erected…
… followed by the panels…
Finally, just before the sun went down the system went live on 22nd March 2019. From now on the bills are going down too!